Half term hire car extras can triple the cost of car hire

A family hiring a standard family car in Malaga for a week in May from Budget could hand over an additional £504 at the rental desk when picking their car up, when the original hire charge was just £164 for the week.

iCarhireinsurance.com, the leading stand-alone provider of excess car hire insurance, has compared the prices of five rental companies at three popular destinations for the May half term week of 24th – 31st May 2014 to reveal the hidden costs at the rental desk.

Looking at the popular half term destinations of Malaga (Spain), Larnaca (Cyprus) and Faro (Portugal), iCarhireinsurance.com found great variations in the costs that travellers would be paying at each destination.

A Child’s Car Seat – This could set you back up to £71 in Malaga with Europcar, £65 in Faro with Avis, and £35 in Larnaca with Europcar. The average price in Faro was £61, in Larnaca £28, and in Malaga £59.

An Extra Driver – Putting an extra driver on a policy can be costly ranging from up to £73 with Hertz in Malaga and Larnaca, and £63 with Avis in Faro. The average price in Malaga is £57, in Larnaca is £37, and in Faro £51.

A Young Driver – Adding a driver under the age of 25 will significantly increase hire car costs. In Malaga it costs up to £132 with Europcar, in Larnaca up to £115 with Hertz, and in Faro up to £69 with Budget. The average price in Malaga is £109, in Larnaca is £58 and in Faro is £55.

Sat Nav - If you don’t own your own Sat Nav it might be worth buying your own as Avis in Faro charge an eye-watering £105 to hire one. The most expensive Sat Nav hire in Malaga was with Europcar at £92, and in Larnaca with Hertz at £79. It costs on average £70 to hire a Sat Nav in Faro and Malaga and £62 to hire in Larnaca.

Excess Liability – If excess insurance is not purchased by a hire car driver they could be liable for up to £2050 in Faro with Hertz if the car gets damaged or even stolen. The average liability in Faro is £1725. In Malaga the highest Excess liability is with Budget at £1294, and the average is £803. In Larnaca the highest excess liability is with Avis at £1474 and the average is £728.

Car Hire Excess Insurance – In Malaga a week’s excess insurance with Budget costs £200 if it includes damage to windows and tyres, but still costs £168 if this cover is not included. This is almost ten times the cost of an iCarhireinsurance.com policy at £21 for the week (at £2.99 a day). iCarhireinsurance.com’s policies are more comprehensive and cover vulnerable parts of the vehicle which are frequently excluded from car hire companies’ policies

The highest rental desk excess insurance, including damage to windows and tyres, in Larnaca is with Hertz at £163, and in Faro is with Avis at £126. The average cost in Malaga is £140, in Larnaca is £96, and in Faro is £99.

“When booking your hire car make sure you check the cost of the extras you will need. The price you are quoted may look like a great deal, but the cost of the extras can triple the cost of your hire car. If you buy your excess insurance in advance from an independent provider, bring your own sat nav and child seats, you can save a fortune, and make the most of the great deals available” said Ernesto Suarez, founder and CEO at iCarhireinsurance.com.

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Hire car costs when hiring a standard family car in Malaga from the 24th to 31st May 2014.

Sixt

Hertz

Avis

Budget

Europcar

Average

CAR RENTAL RATE

£157.82

£150.51

£181.59

£163.62

£151.48

£161.00

EXCESS INSURANCE

£74.79

£154.01

£126.00

£168.35

£106.27

£125.88

STARTING EXCESS VALUE

£492.00

£907.56

£612.36

£1,293.73

£709.05

£802.94

VALUE AFTER EXCESS

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

TYRE AND WINDSCREEN EXCESS

£41.10

0.00

INCLUDED

£31.24

INCLUDED

£36.62

EXTRA DRIVER

£39.60

£72.84

RESERVE ONLY

£49.59

£64.00

£56.51

YOUNG DRIVER

£56.64

£114.80

£120.54

£120.54

£132.11

£108.93

CAR SEAT

£39.60

£65.82

£61.32

£58.31

£70.97

£59.20

SAT NAV

£37.93

£79.63

£64.40

£74.10

£91.54

£69.52

Total cost of extras

£289.66

£487.10

£372.26

£503.03

£464.89

£423.39

Hire car costs when hiring a standard family car in Larnaca from the 24th to 31st May 2014.

Sixt

Hertz

Avis

Budget

Europcar

Average

CAR RENTAL RATE

£235.90

£223.99

£325.48

£177.04

£160.81

£224.64

EXCESS INSURANCE

£28.77

£163.33

£126.00

NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE

£49.56

£91.92

STARTING EXCESS VALUE

£287.00

£697.00

£1,474.59

£820.00

£361.25

£727.97

VALUE AFTER EXCESS

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

TYRE AND WINDSCREEN EXCESS

£17.26

£0.00

INCLUDED

NOT COVERED

INCLUDED

£17.26

EXTRA DRIVER

£20.09

£72.84

RESERVE ONLY

£28.70

£28.32

£37.49

YOUNG DRIVER

£33.00

£114.80

£44.31

£57.40

£42.48

£58.40

CAR SEAT

£25.90

£20.56

£31.29

£28.70

£35.40

£28.37

SAT NAV

£48.91

£79.38

NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE

£57.40

NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE

£61.90

Total cost of extras

£173.93

£450.91

£201.60

£172.20

£155.76

£230.88

Hire car costs when hiring a standard family car in Faro from the 24th to 31st May 2014.